Lakers Universe - Los Angeles Lakers 2005-2006 Regular Season, standings, team leaders, schedule and news

2005-2006 Los Angeles Lakers regular season, NBA Pacific Division standings, team leaders, complete schedule. Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom statistics

Los Angeles Lakers Regular Season Record: 45 - 37
Pacific Division Standing: 3rd / Streak: won 5
Western Conference Standing (for Playoffs): 7th
Lakers picture of the week
Pictures of the week: LA - Hornets (LA Daily News)
Top Players Stats
  Pts Reb Ast G
Bryant 35.4 5.3 4.5 80
Odom 14.8 9.2 5.5 80
Parker 11.5 3.3 3.7 82
Mihm 10.2 6.3 1.0 59
Cook 7.9 3.4 0.9 81

Team Leaders
 points: 35.4 Kobe
 rebounds: 9.2 Odom
 assists: 5.5 Odom
 steals: 1.84 Bryant
 blocks: 1.24 Mihm
 fg %: .526 Brown
 ft %: .849 Bryant
 3pt %: .429 Cook
Pacific Division Standings
W L pct gb
PHO 54 28 .659 -
LAC 47 35 .573 7.0
LAL 45 37 .549 9.0
SAC 44 38 .537 10.0
GSW 34 48 .415 20.0

Schedule, Next games
Sun 23 at Phoenix
Wed 26 at Phoenix
Fri 28 vs. Phoenix
Sun 30 vs. Phoenix
   
   
   
full schedule

More:

All the scores
this page features all the scores & highlights of the Lakers 2005-06 season

2005-06 Schedule
has the full list of games to play and the results of games played

Roster 2005-06
this page has all the news, draft picks and players gone for the new season.

L.A. Lakers Tickets
Tickets for Lakers home and road games

Lakers Playoffs &
Reg. Season 2005/06

2005-06 LAKERS NEWS AND NOTES

4/20: NBA Playoffs 2006 - Will Kobe be enough?

Lakers: It won be easy to win in the first round of the 2006 PlayoffsObjective: not to lose in 1st round... Phil Jackson never missed the playoffs in 14 seasons as a coach and this year won't be the exception. But also he always went beyond the first round and that won't be an easy task this time.

The Lakers have Kobe Bryant, the best player in the world right now and the NBA scoring leader, but, lets face it, they are not a championship caliber team...

And they play against a really dangerous team in the first round of the 2006 Playoffs. Despite not having injured Amare Stoudamire, the Phoenix Suns don't present a good scenario for the Lakers, whose clear objective will be not to be eliminated in the first round. Steve Nash led the league in assists and is the brain of the Suns who have 6 players averaging double digits. Before beating them in their last matchup (with Steve Nash out nursing an injury) the Lakers had lost 7 consecutive games against the Suns.

Because of a qualifing system that doesn't work very well, if a miracle occurs and the Lakers can beat the Suns 4 times, they will face the Clippers or Nuggets, with the Mavericks and Spurs, the two best teams of the West in the other bracket...

4/19: With a 115-95 victory over the Hornets in the final game of the regular season, the Lakers clinched the 7th place in the West, reached the 45 wins Phil Jackson set as a goal and ended strong winning 11 of the last 14 games, streak that they will try to take to the first round of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. The series stars Sunday in Phonix, continues Wednesday and then cames back to Los Angeles for games 3 and 4 next Friday 28 and Sunday 30. Game Highlights...

Phil Jackson kept his perfect record alive by qualifing for the playoffs for the 15th time in 15 seasons as a coach. Another fact that could give hope to the Lakers followers is that in the previous 14 times his teams defeated their first round rival.

Kobe Bryant won his first scoring title (game log) with 35.4 points and became only the 4th player in NBA history to average at least 35 points in one season, following the path of Wilt Chamberlain (5 times), Rick Barry (once) and Michael Jordan (twice). He also became the 4th player in Lakers history to lead the league in points joining Jerry West, Shaquille O'Neal and George Mikan (twice).

Previous to Kobe Bryant, only Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Rick Barry averaged 35 or more points in one season. (minimum 70 games played):   Kobe Bryant is 5th Laker Player in 58 seasons to win a scoring title and only the third since the franchise moved to Los Angeles.
Pts Player Season   Player Season Points Record
50.4 Wilt Chamberlain 1961-62   Kobe Bryant 2005-06 35.4 45-37
44.8 Wilt Chamberlain 1962-63   Shaq. O'Neal 1999-00 29.6 67-15
38.4 Wilt Chamberlain 1960-61   Jerry West 1969-70 31.2 46-36
37.6 Wilt Chamberlain 1959-60   George Mikan 1949-50 27.4 51-17
37.1 Michael Jordan 1986-87   George Mikan 1950-51 28.4 44-24
36.9 Wilt Chamberlain 1963-64   George Mikan 1948-49 28.3 44-16
35.6 Rick Barry 1966-67          
35.4 Kobe Bryant 2005-06          
35.0 Michael Jordan 1987-88          

4/16: It is official: The Lakers are a playoff team. They defeated the Suns 109-99, the first victory against Phoenix since the departure of Shaq. The Suns were without Steve Nash who was nursing a minor injury. Kobe Bryant gave one of the final touches to his MVP candidature with 43 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. The Lakers have won 10 of the last 13 games and will arrive to the playoffs playing their best basketball of the season. Unless Allen Iverson scores 250 point in the next to games, Kobe will be the 2006 NBA scoring leader.

4/14: The Lakers almost clinched their playoff spot... and they look ready to give fight in the first round. Odom has his second consecutive triple double, Kwame Brown scored 20 points and Kobe Bryant had his 6th 50-point performance of the season while the Lakers dominated Portland from beginning to end and won 110-99. With his 50 points Kobe reached 2,754 and broke the franchise record of 2,719 points in one season set by Elgin Baylor in 1962-63. He also has now 26 40-point games, another record he stole from Baylor a couple of weeks ago.

4/11: Lamar Odom had his first triple-double with the Lakers (15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists) and Kobe added 31 points. Both did it in the first 3 quarters where the Lakers built a margin. All the starters rested in the fourth and the Lakers cruised to a 111-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors and swept the series with their Pacific Division rival. Kwame Brown had 15 points and a season-high 15 rebounds and Parker added 18 points. With 3 games to go, the Lakers are 3 games ahead of ninth-place Utah.

vs. Clippers Pictures4/9: Having the best record in the city, the Clippers tried to win their season series with the Lakers for the first time in 13 years, but Kobe Bryant led his team back to the winning path, scoring 17 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers won 100-83 and tied their series with the Clippers 2-2. Odom was really aggressive and scored 23 points and 15 rebounds against his former team. Sam Cassell and Elton Brand each had 24 points for the Clippers. Despite a sore left calf after being accidentally kicked against Phoenix, Kobe played 47 minutes, shot 52% and had 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

4/7: The Lakers had a look at what could be the first round of the playoffs... and it wasn't good at all. Phoenix is not a good defensive team but everybody runs, everybody shoots and everybody scores. Kobe Bryant had 51 points but it didn't matter to the Suns who had 7 players in double digits and won 107-96. And, of course they have Steve Nash the current MVP guiding them. The Lakers are now tied in the 7th place with the Kings and Phoenix could be their first round match-up. The other options are no better: Dallas or San Antonio. The Lakers will face Phoenix again on Sun 16.

Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets4/6: The Lakers gave up 100 points for the first time in the last 10 games and despite recovering from a 23-39 first quarter, they lost in overtime 110-108 at Denver. Carmelo Anthony (33 Points) made the winning shot with 4 seconds left in overtime and Luke Walton missed the final shot, but the highlight of the night came from Kobe Bryant who scored 42 points in his 24th 40+ game of the season, breaking the franchise record of 23 set by Elgin Baylor in 1962-63. Also with his 2584 points, Kobe is on his way to surpass Baylor's franchise record of 2,719 total points in one season. With 6 games left in their regular season, the Lakers are 3 games ahead of 9th-place New Orleans and 1 game ahead of 8th-place Sacramento in the Western Conference.

4/2: Kobe Bryant scored 43 points in the Lakers victory 104-88 over the Rockets, tying this way Elgin Baylor's Laker record of 23 40-point games in a season set in 1962-63. The Rockets led 52-51 at the half but Bryant scored 22 points in the 3rd quarter to led the Lakers to a decisive 38-17 period. With Tracy McGrady absent because of injuries, Yao Ming had 33 points and 16 rebounds but looked lonely while Kobe had help with 21 points from Odom and 15 from Parker. The Lakers need 5 wins in the 7 games left to reach to the 45 victories Jackson set as a goal.

3/30: The Lakers couldn't repeat against the Spurs who are basically an excellent team. All his starters and one reserve (one called Robert Horry) scored in double digits and San Antonio ended the Lakers' 4-game win streak with a 96-85 victory. The Lakers were up 49-43 in the third quarter but were outscored 35-18 in that period. None of his players could repeat the good performance of the last 4 games. Kobe had 23 points, Odom 13 and only 2 assists and Brown couldn't sustain his effort of the last games and added just 9 points.

3/26: The Lakers keep piling up bruises... and victories. With a 105-94 win over the Hornets L.A. equaled its best streak of the season with 4 victories. The playoffs are already a reality: with just 10 games to go the Lakers are 7th and now 4 games ahead of the Hornets who are 9th. In a season plagued with injuries, the Lakers can't escape them at the end. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points but went directly to the locker room with 38.2 seconds to play because of back spasms. Kwame Brown who played with a strained hamstring, had his nose bloodied twice but added 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting. Andrew Bynum wasn't available to play because he sprained his foot in practice and Smush Parker left the game in 4th quarter with a jammed right thumb (X-rays were negative).

3/24: With only 11 games left in the season the Lakers are trying to acquire playoff shape. They defeated the Bucks 101-96 and won 3 in a row for the first time in 2 months. Kobe Bryant led the team with 43 points, including all 5 of his 3-pointers in the first quarter were the Lakers took a 13 point distance and 6 free-throws in the final 20 seconds of the game to decide the contest. Kwame Brown a second consecutive game replacing injured Chris Mihm with 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Lamar Odom made another of his typical contributions of 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

3/22: Kwame Brown chose a key game to offer his best performance as a Laker. He had 21 points, 12 rebounds and played good defense in the Lakers victory 87-80 against Sacramento, the other team fighting for the 7th place in the West. Despite being defended by one of the best defenders on the league (Ron Artest), Kobe Bryant scored 28 points making 11 of 20 shots. Six of his points were in the final 3 minutes and made useless the Kings last attempt to get closer. Artest led Sacramento with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Lakers vs. Celtics3/20: After missing the final shot in the last two games Kobe Bryant didn't wanted to be in that situation again, so he absolutely dominated the fourth quarter where he scored 16 points, including the Lakers last 12. This way the Lakers defeated Boston 105-97, ended a 3-game trip with at least a win and climbed back to the 7th place in the West with just 13 game left in the Regular Season. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 26 points and 9 rebound, but Bryant was supported by good performances of Odom (17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists) Brown (11, 9 and 5) and Parker (14, 5 and 5).

3/19: With a 15-0 run with 2:32 to play in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers changed a 91-80 Laker lead into a 95-91 L.A. deficit. The Lakers had a final opportunity to win but didn't executed it properly and Kobe Bryant had to take a 3-pointer with 3 players over him, the ball hit off the back of the rim and the Cavaliers won 96-95. Kobe had 38 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, Lebron James had 25, 8 and 9. Despite having lost the last two games and 4 of the last 5 the Lakers are still fighting head to head with the Kings for the 7th Playoff Standing.

3/17: Kobe Bryant is averaging 41 minutes per game and although he won't admit he's tired, he looks tired. The most clear indicator that his energy has declined is that while he averages 11 free throw attempts, he has had only 3 per game in the last four games. Against the Nets he took the final shot, a 3-pointer that would have tied the score, but missed badly and the Nets won at home 92-89. He finished with 24 points -- 10 less than his league-leading 34.6 -- 11 assists and 7 turnovers. Nenad Kristic led New Jersey with 26 points.

3/15: A couple of key plays by Kobe Bryant in the final seconds avoided another Laker home loss at the hands of another mediocre team. The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 92-89. Kobe Bryant scored only 6 of his 25 points in the first half but Lamar Odom kept the team alive most of the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 14 rebounds and leads the league with 50 double-doubles. With the Lakers down 87-85 and a minute left Kobe assisted Luke Walton for a 3-pointer and then scored in the Lakers final two possessions .

3/14: Playing at home, Sacramento defeated the Lakers 114-98, climbing this way to the 7th place in the West and sending L.A. back to the 8th. Ron Artest, who has revitalized the Kings since his arrival, had 28 points and made Kobe Bryant work very hard for his 30 points. Mike Bibby added 29 and 7 assists for Sacramento and despite Lamar Odom's unusual 24 points, the Lakers offense disappeared in the fourth quarter, where they were outscored 31-20. The two teams will meet again next Wednesday at L.A.

3/12: Inconsistency is the theme of the season for the Lakers. The defense that made the Spurs look like a mediocre team disappeared against Seattle, allowing one of the worst teams of the league 120 points, and two days after defeating the defending champions, the Lakers were defeated by Seattle 120-113. But the worst news is that the starting center Chris Mihm suffered a severely sprained ankle and with the team trying to get a good playoff spot, he will be out for two weeks. Kobe was held to 22 points by Ray Allen (19 points).

Lakers picture of the week

3/10: The Lakers defeated the Spurs 100-92, a victory without precedents since the 2004 Playoffs. The Spurs looked tired playing the 4th game in 5 days, but the Lakers looked like the Spurs, playing excellent defense, dominating the paint and having many scoring options without depending exclusively on his superstar. Kobe Bryant had 29 points including 13 in 2nd quarter when the Lakers made their first difference and 11 in the 4th to contain the Spurs. But he had a lot of unexpected help from Luke Walton, that looks like his old self (13 points and 10 rebounds) and Kwame Brown, who added 10 points and 8 rebounds and held Tim Duncan to 12 and 4.

3/8: The Lakers and the Hornets met in the 1st professional sporting event in New Orleans since the Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city in Aug. In front of a sold-out stadium the Lakers reacted in the fourth quarter and defeated the Hornets 113-107. Kobe Bryant had an awful shooting night until the 4th period, when he scored 18 of his 40 points to move the Lakers into a tie with the Hornets for the 7th playoff spot in the Western Conference. Odom, who was asked by Jackson to shot more, added 18 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists.

3/6: Two days after surprising everybody with a victory over the Pistons, the Lakers came back to reality and were defeated by the defending champion San Antonio Spurs 103-96. Kobe Bryant did everything to keep his team close with 43 points on 17-for-32 shooting, 17 points in the 4th quarter, a couple of buzzer beaters and assists that don't count because his teammates couldn't finish, but the Spurs are a monster with many heads and had 21 points each from Parker, Ginobili and Finley. The last two made 5 of 6 3-pointers each.

Lakers vs Detroit Pistons pictures

3/4: Against all odds, the Lakers won their game with the Pistons, the best team of the season. Led by Kobe Bryant's 40 points, the Lakers defeated Detroit 105-94 at the Staples Center in the first victory in 7 games since game 2 of the 2004 NBA Finals. An 18-0 run that started at the end of third period erased a 10-point deficit for the Lakers, who avoided going back to the .500 mark for the 10th time this season and gave Detroit their 11th loss, meaning they won't be able to break the Bulls' 72-10 record.

3/3: Despite playing with a sinus infection, Kobe Bryant scored 42 points in the Lakers victory 106-94 over Golden State, and became the youngest player to score 16,000 points. He did it being 27 years and 192 days old, four days younger than Wilt Chamberlain, when he reached the mark in 1964. The Lakers need every win to keep their playoff aspirations alive, and this was a big one because they will face Detroit once and the Spurs twice in the next 7 days.

3/1: With just 24 for games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers can't find momentum, personality or something that gives them hope for the playoffs, in case they enter the playoffs... They fell again against a very poor adversary, the Trail Blazers, 99-93. L.A. still hangs miraculously in the 8th place of the Western Conference but is unable to defeat teams like Portland, the worst of the Conference. Kobe scored 35 points but couldn't avoid Portland to end a 6 game losing streak.

Lakers - Orlando Magic Pictures

2/28: With a 102-87 victory against the lowly Orlando Magic, the Lakers climbed back 1 game above the .500 mark. It was a good team effort with 6 Lakers in double digits, something that is no very usual. Kobe Bryant led them with 28 points, including 14 in the final quarter, and 8 assists. Smush Parker had 17 points and 7 assists and Rookie Ronnie Turiaf added 10 points in 13 minutes, The Lakers needed the win with the next two games on the road and then the Spurs and Pistons at L.A.

2/26: The Lakers can't get rid of the .500 mark. They lost to the Celtics 111-112 and fell to that mark for the 8th time this season. Kobe had 40 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, but also scored only 3 points in the 4th quarter, fouled Paul Pierce (39 pts) with 3 seconds to go and missed the final shot. Six months after undergoing open-heart surgery to repair an enlarged aortic root, Ronnie Turiaf showed what he can offer, he played with a lot of energy and had 2 block, 3 points and 5 rebounds in 14 minutes.

2/24: Kobe Bryant scored 39 points and gave 8 assists but had no help at all from his teammates and the Clippers won 102-83 showing that what the numbers say is true: they are the better team in town. The 33-18 third quarter decided the game for the Clippers who had 32 points from Elton Brand (24 in the 2nd half). The Lakers second scorer was Chris Mihm with 11 points and no other Laker scored in double digits.

2/23: The old L.A. - Sacramento rivalry has vanished but the Lakers keep defeating them. It was 106-85 for the Lakers in a game in wich newly acquired Ron Artest couldn't stop Kobe Bryant as he promised. Kobe had 36 points, 6 rebounds and a season-high 10 assists. The Lakers started the 4th quarter with a small margin of 5 points but Kobe and Devean George scored 9 points each in a 18-3 run that basically ended the game. Odom had another good game with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists.

Lakers vs. Portland

2/21: The Lakers showed what could be a good formula to success: a constant defensive attitude, a solid game from Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant showing his virtues in the decisive moments. The rival wasn't one with playoff level but the Lakers needed a victory and defeated the Trail Blazers 99-82 with 20 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists from Odom and 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals from Kobe, who scored 15 of his points in the final 7 minutes. Chris Mihm returned after missing 6 games with a sprained shoulder.

2/20: The Lakers will play at home 18 of the remaining 30 games of the season with the clear objective of avoiding missing the playoffs. It would be the first time for Phil Jackson in 14 NBA seasons as a coach, and the Lakers would be wasting one of the best years of Kobe Bryant. The performances of Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom were a disappointment so far but they will be key in the Lakers success in the near future.

2/19: Kobe Bryant had a very good performance in the 2006 All-Star Game. He ended with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and led all players with 8 assists while clearly trying to get Tracy McGrady the MVP. His last 4 points tied the game at 120 but T-Mac (36 points) missed the potentially winning 3-pointer, Kobe couldn't control the rebound and the East won 122-120. Lebron James, who was the MVP with 29 points and 6 rebounds, led the East comeback from a 21-point deficit.

2/16: The last game before the All-Star break wasn't what Phil Jackson was expecting. The Lakers lost 114-110 to the Hawks one of the worst teams in the NBA. Kobe Bryant scored 39 points on 14-of-28 shooting and dished 9 assists but the Lakers couldn't contain Atlanta and have at this point a worse record than last season (26-26 to 28-24).

2/13: Motivated by the risk of falling to the 9th place in the Western Conference, the Lakers defeated the Jazz 94-88 and rose to 1 1/2 game ahead of them. It was a bad shooting night in which Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 23 points and had a career-high 7 steals. His point average is falling lately after averaging 43.4 in January, but he still leads the NBA with 34.9.

2/11: It was the first home game for the Lakers in 3 weeks and Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, but he also missed the final shot and was 10-for-28 overall and the Lakers lost to the Grizzlies 100-99. Kwame Brown tied his season-high with 18 points but Memphis got good performances from Pau Gasol (31 points) and ex-Lakers Eddie Jones (25) and Chucky Atkins (18).

2/8: With a 89-78 victory over the Rockets, the Lakers ended a 6-game road trip that was almost a nightmare (2-5 and injuries of Odom and Mihm). Kobe Bryant had a good game with 32 points and 9 assists and tied his career-high with 6 steals. Brian Cook had another high-scoring night with 27 points, more than Yao Ming and T-Mac combined (14 and 11).

2/7: It looks like an endless trip for the Lakers that with a defeat 102-87 at Dallas, have lost 5 of 6 games in the road and have fallen to .500 and the 8th spot in the west, just half a game ahead of Utah. Kobe Bryant, who had 62 against the Mavs on Dec. 20, was cold in this game and scored 24 points in 5-for 22. Brian Cook scored a career-high 28 points, but starter Kwame Brown, who was replacing injured Chris Mihm was scoreless and Smush Parker added only 3 points.

Lakers vs. Hornets2/4: The Lakers are clearly not an elite team, but without Odom and Mihm they can't even handle the Bobcats or the Hornets. For the second night in a row they were behind in the score all game long and at the end they lost with the Hornets in Oklahoma 106-90. Kobe Bryant had 35 points, George 21, Cook 13 and no one else scored more than 7. The Lakers looked like the team of last season, taking 35 3-pointers, something you can be sure Phil Jackson didn't like.

2/3: The Bobcats snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 112-102 victory over the Lakers and the note of the day was Jumaine Jones career-best 31 points. Jones was traded from Los Angeles to Charlotte in late October. Kobe bryant scored 35 points but with Lamar Odom out because of a torn rib cartilage the Lakers committed a season-high 23 turnovers and missed Chris Mihm with right shoulder sprain after being fouled. This game was the first time the second-year Bobcats ever led from start to finish in their 130-game history.

2/1: One night after scoring 130 points the Lakers almost set a franchise record for worst field-goal percentage. They were shooting 29.3% (lower than the 29.4% set in November 2004) until Bynum dunked it with 39 seconds left and Wafer made the final basket with 11 seconds remaining. But they couldn't avoid the the loss against the Pacers 105-79. Indiana held Kobe Bryant to 26 points, 10 less than his average, and Peja Stojakovic, acquired from Sacramento in last week's trade for Ron Artest, led them, also with 26 points.

1/31: Kobe Bryant scored 40 points in the Lakers victory 130-97 over the Knicks and ended one the best months of his career averaging 43.4 points in 13 games. It was the second time he averaged 40+ points in a month, he also averaged 40.6 in February 2003. Only Chamberlain (11 times) and Elgin Baylor (once) did it before. Rookie center Andrew Bynum went 7-for-7 for a career-high 16 points, all of them in the fourth quarter. The frustration of the Knicks made the game a free-throw contest where the Lakers had 58 (Kobe made 23 of 26). Larry Brown was ejected with two technical fouls.

1/29: There were no surprises in Detroit. Kobe Bryant scored 39 points, Chris Mihm added 16, no other Laker scored more than 9, and the Pistons defeated the Lakers again, this time 102-93 with their five starters in double digits (Rasheed Wallace led them with 24).

1/27: In the first game after his spectacular 81-point game, Kobe Bryant almost didn't score against Golden Stated until his team needed it. He scored only 5 points in the first 3 quarters (2-for12), but finally found his rhythm and went for 16 in the final period, including a pair of free throws to send the game to overtime where he scored 9 points more and the Lakers defeated the Warriors 106-105. His 4 free throws in the final 6 seconds of OT extended the lakers lead to 4 so Mickael Pietrus 3-pointer at the buzzer didn't hurt L.A. Bryant ended with 30 points and 8 assists.

Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Raptors1/22: Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest point total in NBA history for the Lakers 122-104 victory over the Raptors. Kobe is the first player to get just 19 points shy of Chamberlain's historic 100 points. He made 28 of 46 shots (60.9%) including 7 of 13 3-pointers and set franchise records for points in a half (55) and consecutive free throws (62 in 6 games). The Lakers reached the midpoint of the season with a 22-19 record (.537).

This time Kobe Bryant didn't seat down in the final quarter like he did in his 62-point game against Dallas where the Lakers had a clear margin in the game. When the second half of the game started Toronto was up by 14 points but Kobe outscored them 55-42 in that half. Here is the detail of Kobe's 81-point game, the second best in NBA history:

Details of Kobe Bryant's 81 points:
QTR FG-A 3P-A FT-A FG% PTS Result
1st 5-9 0-1 4-4 55.5 14 LAL 29-36 Tor
2nd 5-7 1-1 1-2 71.4 12 LAL 49-63 Tor
3rd 11-15 4-4 1-1 73.3 27 LAL 91-85 Tor
4th 7-15 2-7 12-13 46.7 28 LAL 122-104Tor
Totals 28-46 7-13 18-20 60.9 81 122-104

 

1/20: The Lakers took an initial 35-25 lead at Phoenix but couldn't sustain it with the worst shooting night of Kobe Bryant in the last month (12-for-33) and despite Kobe scoring 20 of his 37 points in the final quarter, the Lakers could get no closer than 10 during that span and lost against the Suns 106-93. Steve Nash guided his team with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists.

1/19: The Lakers were on their way to another road victory but with 22 seconds left in regulation and a 4-point lead, Lamar Odom committed an offensive foul while attacking the lane instead of running down the clock with 14 seconds remaining in the possession. Eventually, Sacramento tied the game with a 3-pointer from center Brad Miller. Kobe Bryant, who had 51 points, made all his 13 free throws and set a franchise record with 44 consecutive, but he also contributed with the Lakers confusion in overtime missing 4 three point shots. The Kings won 118-109 with 40 points from Mike Bibby.

1/16: It was a strange night in L.A.: the Lakers defeated Miami 100-92 in the first Laker victory in 4 games since Shaq left... Kobe and Shaq embraced a couple of times before the game and their feud seems to be over... Andrew Bynum had his first encounter with Shaq and he gave a good impression. After Shaq dunked hard on him, Bynum made Shaq look like a rookie in the Lakers next possession, faking right, spinning around O'Neal and dunking with authority. Seconds later they exchanged elbows, both received technical fouls and Shaq was booed progressively louder as the game went on... Kobe scored 37 points, 12 of them in the last 8 1/2 minutes and leads the NBA with 34.3 points per game. Odom added 19 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.

1/14: The Lakers defeated their Division rival Golden State Warriors 110-104. Despite wearing a protective pad on his sprained right wrist, Bryant had 38 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Smush Parker had career-highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds and Kwame Brown make an unusual contribution of 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers.

Lakers vs Cleveland, Lebron vs Kobe1/12: This time Kobe didn't go for 40 points but despite playing the second half with a sprained wrist he made 3 jumpers over Lebron James in the final 90 seconds, including the go ahead with the game tied 97-97 and 8 seconds to play. After that James, who had 29 points (1 more than bryant) and 9 assists for Cleveland missed a free throw and the potential winning shot. It was 99-98 for the Lakers.

1/11: The Trail Blazers are the lowest-scoring team of the NBA but the Lakers allowed them their highest offensive output of the season and Portland won 113-103. Kobe Bryant's 41 points weren't enough to extend his historic streak of 45 or more points to 5 games.

1/9: The Lakers defeated the Pacers 96-90 and Kobe Bryant, with his 45 points, became the first NBA player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 to score at least 45 points in four straight games (45, 48, 50 and 45). The only other player with such a streak was Elgin Baylor. Great scorers like Michael Jordan or Abdul-Jabbar never accomplished that feat.

Lakers - Clippers picture gallery1/7: Kobe Bryant scored 50 points on the Clippers, 40 of them in the 2nd half. He also added 8 rebounds and 8 assists made 7 3-pointers (15 attempts) and put the Lakers ahead for good 110-109 with 11.4 seconds to go. The Lakers tied the series with their neighbors with a 112-109 victory and Bryant became the 6th player in NBA history to score at least 45 points in 3 consecutive games and the first since Michael Jordan did it in 1990.

1/6: Kobe Bryant left the game against the 76ers as the NBA scoring leader. Coming back from a 2-game suspension, Kobe outscored Allen Iverson 48-31 and the Lakers got a big win against Philadelphia 119-93 to avoid what could have been Phil Jackson worst losing streak (6 games). Bryant made all 7 of his 3-point shots and got a good contribution from Parker, who made 5-of-5 three pointers, and Odom, who had a career-high 12 assists.

1/3: With a 90-80 loss to the Utah Jazz the Lakers fell under .500 and extended their losing streak to 5 games. Without suspended Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom scored 25 points but the Jazz got an amazing performance from Andrei Kirilenko: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 steals and 7 blocked shots. Phil Jackson hadn't had a 5-game losing streak since 1994 and he has never lost six consecutive in his 15-year NBA coaching career.

1/1: Playing without suspended Kobe Bryant for the first time this season, five players scored in double figures but none scored 20 points and the Utah Jazz won 98-94. The Lakers lost their fourth straight game and felt to the .500 after winning 9 of their previous 11 games. Brian Cook made his first 8 shots and finished with 19 points.

12/31: The NBA suspended Kobe Bryant for 2 games without pay for a flagrant foul on Grizzlies' Mike Miller. Kobe elbowed Miller in the throat in the fourth quarter but he denied the move was a payback for a previous play in the same game in which Miller elbowed Bryant and caused an inch-long gash that required 3 stitches near Bryant's left eye.

12/28: The Lakers, 9-7 on the road, fell to 6-7 at home with a 100-99 overtime loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kobe Bryant scored 45 points on 13-of-37 shooting and the Lakers lost their 3rd consecutive game. Damon Stoudamire led Memphis with 25 points and Pau Gasol added 24.

2/27: The Lakers had the game under control with a 16-point lead in the second quarter but then they let it slip away in the second half and the Wizards won 94-91. Odom again missed a key three-pointer in the final seconds and Kobe -- who scored 31 points -- gave a bad pass in the lakers final possession.

Lakers - Miami picture gallery12/25: Kobe scored 37 points but both he and Odom missed three-point shots in the final minute and Miami Heat won 97-92 in Christmas day. Shaquille O'Neal had 18 points and 17 rebounds but Payton had the bigger impact for the Heat with his 21 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:05 left.

12/23: After a game with 62 points and 0 assists Kobe Bryant was a playmaker against Orlando and finished with 21 points and 9 assists in the game previous to the much anticipated Lakers-Heat in Christmas day. The Lakers won 104-88. Chris Mihm added 20 points.

12/20: Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 62 points in just 3 quarters and then sat to enjoy the rest of the game. At the end of the third, where kobe scored a franchise-record 30 points, the Lakers were up by 34 and Kobe was defeating the Dallas Mavericks by himself 62-61. The Lakers won for the eighth time in 10 games.

12/18: The Lakers were unable to contain Tracy Mcgrady who went for a driving layup in the final second of the game and gave his Rockets a win 76-74 at the Staples Center. Phil Jackson called the defense of that play "inexcusable". Odom had an awful game with only 3 points and 1 assist.

12/16: The Lakers continued at home what they started on the road. After a 5-1 trip they returned to L.A. and got a victory against the Wizards 97-91. Kobe had 41 points, 18 of them in the third quarter when he made 8 of 10 shots.

12/14: The Lakers ended their their best six-game road trip since February 2000 with a victory 94-79 at Memphis. A week ago no one would have expected a 5-1 record but the Lakers seem to be finding their defense. Bryant led the team with 27 points.

12/12: Kobe Bryant scored 43 points, some of them with amazing plays, including an incredible 3-pointer with 34 seconds left that was key in the Lakers victory 109-106 over Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers are 4-1 in this 6-game road trip.

12/10: Despite Kobe Bryant's 35 points, the Lakers couldn't extend their winning-streak to 5 games. Minnesota won the game 95-82 with the first 30-point game of the season from Garnett. Kwame Brown returned after missing the past 3 weeks with a strained hamstring.

12/9: The Lakers have won 4 games in a row, something not achieved since the coach was... Phil Jackson in 2004. The Bulls retired Scottie Pippen jersey at halftime but they were down 47-37 by then and couldn't avoid a 93-80 defeat at the end.

Lamar Odom

12/7: The Lakers won 3 games in a row for the first time in the season and and reached the .500 mark with a 102-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The team had built a 19-point lead by the end of the 3rd quarter and didn't need Bryant or Odom to play in the fourth.

12/6: The Lakers had four players in double digits and started a 6-game road trip with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks, 111-92. Kobe had 33 points, Odom 24, Mihm 13 and Smush Parker added 20 points and a NBA season-high 7 steals.

12/4: It was another bad shooting game for Kobe (9-for-30) but he saved the night from the free throw line. He was fouled with 7 seconds to go and made both free throws. Charlotte missed a final 3-point attempt and the Lakers won 99-98.

12/2: The Lakers led by as much as 18 points in the first half against Minnesota, but looked tired after an OT victory the day before. Bryant and Odom were near to a triple double and this time they had help from their teammates but the Timberwolves scored 39 points in the fourth to win the game 113-108.

12/1: Kobe Bryant tied the game in regulation but fouled-out in OT. Without him on the floor Odom assisted Sasha Vujacic for the decisive three-pointer. Laron Profit added 2 free throws to seal the Lakers victory, 105-101 over Utah.

11/29: Despite Odom's best game of the season - 27 points and 16 rebounds - the Lakers lost to the Spurs 90-84. It wasn't so bad after all, if you consider the Lakers were down 25-8 in the first quarter against the NBA Champion. Kobe had 25 points but made only 9 of 33 shots.

Phil Jackson11/27: Kobe Bryant had an NBA season-high 46 points but again he had no help from his teammates and the Lakers lost again, this time 102-96 with New Jersey in overtime. The only other Laker in double figures was Brian Cook with 14 points. Luke Walton, recovered from the injuries, played 35 minutes and finished with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

11/24: All five starters scored in double figures for the first time in the season as the Lakers returned to the victory path with a 108-96 over Seattle. Kobe Bryant contained Ray Allen and scored 29 of his 34 points in the last 18 minutes. The Lakers have their front court plagued with injuries with Kwame Brown, Devean George, Luke Walton and Slava Medvedenko all sat in the bench but unable to play.

11/20: Kobe Bryant had no help from his teammates, he scored 43 points but the Lakers lost 96-93 against the Bulls. Phil Jackson's team can't find a consistent help for Bryant, no one is scoring more than 14 points a game.

11/18: the Clippers are the surprise of the season. With their best start of the history (7-2), they are at the top of the Division and at the top of the Conference. And they are currently the best team in town. They proved it by defeating the Lakers 97-91. The Lakers can't find offensive options and is depending too much in Kobe, who scored 36 pts but needed 35 shots to get them. Kwame Brown left in the 3rd quarter with a right hamstring strain and will be sidelined for up to 2 weeks.

11/16: Phil Jackson and Larry Brown met again after the 2004 Finals. But things are really different now: they don't have the powerful teams they had then, Kobe Bryant (42 points) couldn't be controlled by Brown and the victory was for Jackson when the Lakers defeated the Knicks 97-92.

11/14: Thanks to Chris Mihm's three-point play with 23.4 seconds left, the Lakers avoided a team record for fewest points. But it had no meaning in terms of avoiding the loss. Memphis won 85-73, wich is really bad considering Memphis is supposed to be a direct competitor for a playoff spot.

11/11: Iverson clearly won the matchup with Bryant. He scored 34 points including the go-ahead shot with 22.2 seconds to go. Kobe scored 17 but shot 7-for27 and missed a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left. With 2 more free throws from Iverson Philadelphia won 85-81.

11/9: Limited by Minnesota's zone defense and their own bad execution, the Lakers scored just 13 points in the fourth quarter and were defeated 88-74. Kobe scored 28 points but only 2 in the final period.

11/8: Led by Bryant (37 points) and Parker (21), the Lakers defeated Atlanta 103-97. Kobe is the NBA scoring leader with 36.5 and Smush Parker scored 20 or more points in 3 of the Lakers 4 games.

11/6: With Kobe's third 30-plus performance (37 points) the Lakers defeated Denver again, this time 112-92. Center Chris Mihm contributed 20 points, including 12 in the first period and 13 rebounds.

11/3: Despite Kobe Bryant's 39 points the Lakers couldn't handle Phoenix, who had 7 players in double digits including Marion with 30 points. The Lakers got as close as 3 points with 2 minutes remaining. MVP Steve Nash delivered 17 assists and led his team Kobe Bryant to a 122-112 victory.

11/2: Kobe Bryant missed the final shot of regulation but scored 8 of his 33 points in overtime, including the game-winner with less than a second to go to defeat Denver 99-97. Smush Parker added 20 points and 6 assist. With his 18 years and six days Andrew Bynum became the youngest player in NBA history.

10/29: Lakers preseason ended Friday with a 105-103 victory over the Kings. The Lakers will start their season Wednesday at Denver.

Preseason summary:

Oct 28 Kings W 105-103 K. Bryant 24 pts
Oct 25 Jazz W 95-85 K. Bryant 20 pts
Oct 23 Bobcats W 98-97 K. Bryant 25 pts
Oct 21 Bobcats W 109-93 K. Bryant 27 pts
Oct 20 Nuggets L 94-105 K. Brown 16 pts
Oct 18 Wizards W 111-108 K. Bryant 28 pts
Oct 12 Warriors L 81-112 K. Bryant 11 pts
Oct 11 Warriors W 101-93 K. Bryant 28 pts

10/25: The Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 95-85 in another preseason game.

10/21: The Lakers defeated the Bobcats twice over the weekend in preseason games. 109-93 and 98-97.

10/18: In their 3rd preseason game the Lakers defeated the Wizards 111-108 with 28 points of Kobe Bryant and 22 of Devean George.

10/13: A day after winning the first pre-season game against the Warriors 101-93, the Lakers lost 112-81 in the rematch.

10/11: This is the possible starting line up of the 2005-06 Lakers: Lamar Odom will handle the ball at the point guard position, Luke Walton may be the shooting guard although Aaron Mckie and Smush Parker also are in the mind of Jackson to share the backcourt with Odom, Kobe Bryant will be moved to small forward to reduce his workload handling the ball, Kwame Brown will be the power forward and Chris Mihm will be the center.

8/13: When the Lakers 2005-2006 Regular Season starts on November 2, the Lakers will be playing against Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets and you will find in this page all the news, stats, team leaders, standings, highlights and schedule related to Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and all the Lakers players...

In the meantime you can review the changes in the 2005-06 roster.

More related sections:
2005-2006 Schedule has the full list of games to play and scores of games already played. All the scores and highlights includes the highlights for each game. Roster 2005/06 has all the news, draft picks and players for the new season. L.A. Lakers Tickets
has tickets for Lakers home and road games.